Chapter Text
1958
Mischa crept through the front door of the Lecter mansion, quietly locking it behind herself afterwards.
She had no reason to sneak around, not really. But she knew that as soon as Hannibal heard her come home he would want to talk to her, and she needed to be alone right now.
She got as far as the library, sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees to herself as she finally let herself cry.
The reason for her tears was simple - she had just been to the movie theatre, to watch A Night To Remember, a film based on a historically accurate book recounting the sinking of the Titanic.
As soon as she had heard about it, she knew she had to see it.
She wanted to understand the sinking, fully.
She had been a child when it happened, and although she could remember clearly the events of the night, it was through the lens of a child.
She hadn't fully understood the chaos, the severity of sinking, hadn't known the full events leading up to it.
In her mind, Adam had been arrested. Then there was a rush to the deck, climbing into a lifeboat with Chiyoh and Beverly and watching from afar as the ship sank.
She had had no idea of the rush for the rest of the lifeboats, the chaos as the ship rose into the air.
She had wanted to see it for herself, as an adult with a greater understanding of the world.
As she had grown up she had sought out as much information about the sinking as possible, eager to know all she could about this event that had defined her childhood. She had asked Hannibal and Adam about that night, wanting to know their experiences, but both did not want to relive that night all over again.
So, she sought out other sources. Read all the books and news articles she could find, wanting to be able to understand it. She knew the technical parts of it, who died, what happened.
But all the books and news articles hadn't prepared her for seeing it on screen.
It brought all of that night back to her, the terror of seeing the ship go down, the noises of the survivors in the water, the chaos and hopelessness that was in the air. It was like she was back there, on the worst night of her life, all over again.
Maybe she shouldn't have gone to see the film.
After a short while, Mischa collected herself. Looking at the clock, she realised it was later than she thought. She felt a little bit better now, the initial shock at seeing it on screen having passed.
Slowly, she stood up, made her way out of the library, stopping at the large family portrait which hung pride of place in the hall.
Her eyes lingered on Nigel, and then on Will, willing herself not to cry. "I miss you."
With one last look, she walked up the stairs, into her own room, quickly changing into her nightclothes.
She snuck into Hannibal and Adam's room, climbing between them, needing to be with her family for now.
She hoped it would keep the inevitable nightmares at bay.